The present invention relates to a crash protection element, its use and a method for its manufacture. The present invention more particularly relates to so-called crash absorbers with or in hollow elements made with or from fiber composite, their manufacture and their use in the automotive industry, in particular for the production and construction of integral body-frames.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
In the manufacture of vehicles, in particular in the automotive industry, construction principles for the so-called integral body-frames are of utmost importance, not only with respect to the shape and the vehicle stability itself, but also with respect to the protection of the interior space of the vehicle, in particular a passenger compartment, e.g., also for extraordinary stress and for protection from external influences during an accident and the like.
Of particular importance are certain body components, e.g., the different columns, in particular the A-, B-, C- and D-columns, but also the so-called rocker panel. The rocker panel is frequently not a separate component, but is often composed of a sidewall or a side part, a reinforcement part, a reinforcement web plate and a rocker panel interior part, wherein the latter closes the overall hollow cross-section.
As already mentioned above, the rocker panel is an important component of an integral body-frame, because it not only absorbs so-called load paths during a frontal impact, but significantly enhances stability and energy dissipation tasks in conjunction with the side crash protection.
Because of these circumstances, body components made of metal and in particular the rocker panels have frequently proven to be disadvantageous, because their location and in particular their proximity to the ground and hence the effect of water in the context of contamination, such as salt and the like, frequently causes corrosion problems, which—over time—diminish the functionality of such components of integral body-frames, unless significant expenses are incurred for their protection and maintenance.
On the other hand, it is particularly important with respect to aspects of protection from a side impact to ensure, on one hand, the vehicle integrity and stability as a whole, and on the other hand, not to select an excessively high transverse stiffness due to the protection function for the passenger compartment, so that kinetic energy in a side impact can be intentionally dissipated, thereby reducing penetration velocities for such transverse movements of the chassis of parts thereof toward the interior space of the vehicle in such transverse movements.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to obviate prior art shortcomings by providing an improved crash protection element for a vehicle body for absorbing and dissipating kinetic energy during an impact as well as its manufacture and use, wherein a particularly reliable side impact protection for a vehicle can be realized in a particularly simple manufacturable manner and with particularly high quality and durability.